Are you selling your home and looking for a way to add curb appeal to your yard, but not sure where to start? Then think about adding a sustainable landscape design – also known as xeriscaping. By creating a garden that contains plants native to your area and climate, you can create a beautiful landscape that requires very little resources to maintain.
Xeriscaping is a Great Selling Point
Xeriscaping can even help you sell your home when potential buyers see how little water it takes to maintain compared to other landscaping options in your area. A sustainable landscape design will by its very nature contain plants that are drought resistant. This means that you will be helping the environment by watering much less often – if at all.
Less watering translates to considerable savings on your water bill as well. Typical households can see a drop in their water bill by as much as hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the course of a year by decreasing the amount of landscape watering they do. Those savings will be particularly noticeable in hot summer months when nonnative plants need lots of extra water and water rates are increased. This can be a great selling point to potential buyers.
Creating Your Own Sustainable Garden is Easy
Making the switch to xeriscaping may seem intimidating at first, especially if your home has traditional landscaping. But it doesn’t have to be.
The first place to start is at your local garden center or home improvement store. Most of these stores have a section devoted to local, native plants. By making your choices from this selection, you know that you are choosing plants that will do well in your front or back yard.
Next, consider removing some of your grass. While xeriscaping is a way to conserve water, it does not mean you have to entirely eliminate grassy areas. But if you have a large area of turf, you can replace some of it with native ornamental grasses or flowers. You can even consider adding natural materials such as gravel or decomposed granite. There are many options that look natural and add to the beauty of your yard while eliminating the need for extra water. Ask the staff at your local garden center – they can show you options that are great for your area.
Replace nonnative plants and flowers with native selections from your garden center. It’s not necessary to start from scratch, or even remove all the water dependent plants. But substituting water wise plants will not only look great, it will also add to those savings in the water bill.
Lastly, lay down mulch in between plants. This can be anything from wood chips to pretty river rocks, depending on your taste. Mulch will suppress weeds and keep the soil moist, helping to eliminate the need for any extra water from sprinklers or the hose.
The bottom line is, with just a little thought and time, you can easily turn your your yard into a water efficient, sustainable landscape that will be attractive to many potential buyers for both its beauty and its cost savings when you sell your home.
